Adam Wolfsbane
by Faithie
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, but before the Trio's children get to school, quite an odd thing ends up happening at Hogwarts - a Muggle ends up not only getting in, but being sorted into a House! Unfortunately, Adam quickly starts to realize he ended up in the middle of a sinister plot aimed to get revenge on Wizards and Witches...
1. Part 1: A Muggle Sorted at Hogwarts

**Part 1: A Muggle Sorted at Hogwarts**

Adam was doing his absolute best to stay calm. His breaths were shallow, his nostrils flaring with each one as his eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch sight of everything in this place. People in robes. Floating candles. Owls, cats, toads.

Thankfully, half the group he was in looked just as nervous and panicked, as they watched one kid after another go up to what actually appeared to be a talking hat and place it on their head - after which, the hat soon shouted some sort of gibberish word that got the rest of the people in the giant hall to either cheer or boo, depending on where they were sitting.

"Wolfsbane, Adam," the older woman who'd been reading names off a list called out.

Adam stayed exactly where he was, completely frozen.

Was that his name? How did she know his name? It looked like she read it off a list, how did she-

"Adam!? Adam, you're here!?" Came the voice that was the whole reason for Adam's current predicament.

The pretty little girl with the straight black hair elbowed her way past the fellow eleven-year-olds as she made her way to him, absolutely beaming. Adam didn't think his heart could beat any faster, but there it went.

"Oh, Adam, I'm so happy! I had no idea you were a wizard, too!" she cried in joy, taking his hands and squeezing them.

"Yeah," Adam somehow managed despite the dryness of his throat. He also had absolutely no idea what he'd just agreed with. Did she say 'wizard'?

Either way, it got her smile to brighten even more, as the older woman behind her cleared her throat in annoyance and repeated his name. The girl gasped, realizing that they were being rude, and she pulled Adam forward, in the direction of the chair with the hat.

"Ooh, I hope we're in the same house! Adam, I can't believe it! I really thought I wouldn't see you anymore!" She said, so happily, giving his hands a final squeeze before letting go. Adam gave her an awkward smile and shrug, his feet somehow moving one after the other to help him stumble towards the chair.

The older woman gave him a disapproving look as he sat down. He was shaking terribly and sweating so much he was sure he'd leave a puddle, but several others had been in a similar state as him already, so no one even looked twice.

He had no idea what to do. All eyes were on him, and slowly, that hat was lowered down, onto his head…

" _My, isn't this interesting?_ " he heard a deep voice in his head, and Adam just barely resisted the urge to scream. A strange, frightened squeak left his throat, instead.

 _What is going on, what are these people, why is Isabelle here? Oh god, oh god, they're going to find out I'm not supposed to be here, Isabelle is going to hate me…_

" _Yes, I can see she matters a lot to you_ ," The voice said in agreement, causing a small whimper to leave Adam again. " _You worked very hard to get here, didn't you? Tucked away, hidden from everyone, even somehow managed to get around all the charms we have set up. And now this. Very interesting…_ " The voice repeated.

Adam's shaking intensified, as the voice in his head gave a strange rumble of agreement to a thought he didn't bother to share with Adam, before saying, " _Well, I know what to do with a hard worker_."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The voice shouted, this time, from atop Adam's head, instead of inside it.

The tables in a corner covered in yellow and black burst out into loud applause and cheers. The red and gold tables clapped politely, as did the tables of blue and bronze. The green and silver tables sent boos, and Adam could make out a few snide comments about him possibly wetting himself.

"Off with you, Mr. Wolfsbane," the older woman said, as she took the hat off, and gently nudged him towards the cheers. "And we'll be discussing your strange attire in private, later."

Adam stumbled up to his feet, looking back up at her with wide, panicked eyes. He had no idea what had just happened.

His head swiveled, looking around until his eyes caught sight of Isabelle again. She was beaming and clapping her hands like crazy, before pointing him to the tables he'd been nudged towards. After a moment, Adam managed to get his feet to move in that direction, as he heard the older woman call out, "Xu, Isabelle!"

He watched while he walked. The young girl sat down in the chair with a squeal of excitement. The hat barely touched her head before it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!" which caused the red tables to burst into roars of approval in order to drown out the roars of disapproval from the green tables.

Adam felt something in his heart sink when she gave him a slightly sad look, before she stood to walk in the other direction.

Adam sat down and was met by excited greetings and some happy jostling, but he was stiff as a board. He watched the table, his nostrils flaring in silent fear whenever he saw a plate of food appear from literally nowhere, which no one but him seemed to find strange. One person was even complaining about the state of the potatoes that had _magically come out of thin air_.

Adam wasn't able to listen to the conversations around him. He caught words here and there, strange ones. Potions. Arithmancy. Wand. He'd thought he'd stumbled into some sort of live-action cosplay convention, until the self-moving coaches, floating candles, the talking hat, and now, the magic food. His world view was literally turned upside-down. He didn't even notice that he'd picked up a roll and stuffed it into his mouth at some point, with how loudly and quickly the wheels in his head were spinning. Nor did he notice when a boy on the other side of the table stood up to make his way over to Adam and sit down next to him.

"Hey," A whisper came to the left of Adam. It was directly next to his ear and brought the young boy back to reality, causing him to choke on his roll for a second. His head turned to see a boy maybe a year or two older than him. The boy was pale and had bags under his wild eyes; he seemed sickly. There was something about him that managed to put Adam further on edge than he already was.

"Hi?" Adam managed awkwardly, and the crazed smile on this older boy's face widened.

"You're like me," he whispered to Adam. Adam's eyes shifted around guiltily, not sure what to say, before the boy added, "You don't have magic. You're not a wizard."

Adam froze, and for a moment, a cautious feeling of ease permeated through his body. Someone here knew? Someone knew he was normal? And he seemed excited by the idea...

The older boy's eyes shifted around, and he moved his robes to the side slightly, revealing an old, tattered book with a stain on the front that looked suspiciously like dried blood. Adam could make out the faded title, _A Hunter's Guide to Sorcery_.


	2. Part 2: Taming a Wand

**Part 2: Taming a Wand**

Adam followed the boy out of what he now knew to be called the "Great Hall", down towards what seemed to be a kitchen. Adam's throat was too dry to scream at that point, or else, seeing the very tiny, humanoid-looking things with huge ears and large noses running around in what seemed to be potato sacks and other garbage, would've probably had him screaming more-than-loud-enough to bring attention to himself.

Adam wasn't particularly listening to the boy, who had at some point mentioned that his name was Balder, though he continued to whisper things to Adam every now and then. The younger boy was more interested in trying not to faint. If the tiny people in potato sacks weren't enough, when they got past a large barrel that an older teenager was leading them through, a ghost - an actual ghost, pale and transparent and floating and everything Adam had ever been told about them - floated through the wall, tipped his head (not his hat, his entire * _head*_ , which seemed to be hanging on by a thread) and moved along as dozens of the eleven-year-olds around him shrieked with giggles.

By the time Adam had finally made it to the large yellow-and-black room that reminded him of an underground burrow, he could hardly keep himself upright. His knees felt weak, his hands were shaking, and he felt incredibly nauseous; he found the first arm rest he could and just propped up against it, taking shallow breaths. He kept silently begging for his body to wake up already, but nothing was happening.

"Come on, those idiots are going to be out doing something stupid right now," Balder said, causing Adam to realize the other boy was still there, and had still been saying something or another the entire time they'd been walking. Adam realized he honestly hadn't paid attention to a single word.

The younger boy looked up with lost, horrified eyes as Balder turned to lead him somewhere. Adam didn't move. How was this kid taking everything so easily? He seemed as nonchalant as everyone else there, yet he'd claimed he and Adam were the same. Had he lied? Was he just messing with Adam? Some sort of cruel prank?

Balder turned when he noticed that Adam wasn't following and was met with those dark, lost eyes looking up at him. Balder furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment, before he seemed to realize something, and leaned in close to whisper to Adam.

"I know! My first year, I was a mess, too. It was so freaky, being around all these...people," he said the last word in a manner that made the muscles under Adam's eye twinge with annoyance. "But you get used to it. Trust me. Now come on - it doesn't look like you really came prepared...But that's fine, I don't think Akako had, either..."

He moved ahead again, looking back at Adam expectantly. Adam stayed where he was, letting his head bow down so that he could look at his feet. After some deep thought, Adam figured there was no point in fighting. The best he could do, at this point, was go along with what he could. If he was lucky, maybe this kid could offer up some explanations about...anything that was going on.

So, Adam reluctantly followed the older boy down a corridor, to what seemed to be a relatively normal dorm room, enough to fit about six people. Each bed had a large trunk sitting at the foot of it already, and Balder went straight to a bed in the corner so that he could open up the trunk there. The trunk was black and plain, except for all the cuts and other scuff marks on it. It looked as though someone was constantly scratching it up, as well as constantly scrubbing things off of it, with large faded patches in the paint. Balder undid a large, complicated lock that glowed gently when he touched it, before pushing the lid open.

The trunk was full of leather-bound books, quills, jars of ink, parchment, robes, and other things that made Adam feel like he'd fallen through a portal and ended up in the 1800's. But he also saw some things he recognized - a 3DS with some games for it, an iPod, and even an iPhone, though all of them were off. His attention was instantly grabbed by a 3DS game he'd been waiting to play at home, and he couldn't resist the urge to lean in slightly and get a better look at it, just to make sure it really was the correct title.

"Don't bother," Balder told Adam, when he saw where his eyes were going. "Electronics don't work here. You need to do a whole bunch of stuff to get around that."

While he was speaking, Balder did something Adam didn't understand. He pulled away a piece of the leather lining the inside of the trunk, and hidden behind it was a symbol. Adam thought it might have been Chinese, like some of the things he'd seen in Isabelle's home, but it seemed even more complicated than any he remembered.

The older boy then tapped his fingers over the symbol in a specific sort of rhythm, like he was playing a short tune on the piano, and suddenly, the bottom of the trunk split in half, with the floor of it swinging back, into what should have been the floor, like a trap door. Not only did the things that were sitting on it not move, hanging on as though they were been glued to the trunk's floor, but the space that was revealed was huge, the size of a closet, easily.

Adam stumbled back in surprise, his eyes growing huge, trying to figure out how that happened. Was that actually a trap door? That kid had actually sawed a hole straight into the floor of a dorm room?

"Enlargement charm," Balder told Adam, as though that was supposed to explain anything, and he tilted the trunk up slightly to prove to the younger boy that the dorm floor was all in one piece. Adam just made a weak sound of disapproval; he wasn't sure how much more his eleven-year-old heart could take that day. His reaction made Balder smile in entertainment. "Wow, you really ARE new to this. How did you find out about everything, anyway?" He asked, before he leaned into his way-too-deep trunk and started fishing for something.

Adam's face grew rather hot at that question.

Adam wasn't about to admit to how the only reason he was there was because he'd essentially stalked his childhood friend, Isabelle, who had been growing quieter and more distant from him over the last few months. How he'd overheard her parents mentioning that they were going to King's Cross Station that day to see her off, and so, Adam had gotten there at five in the morning on his bike, and waited, and waited, until he finally saw her. How, when he HAD seen her, instead of going up to her and giving her the present he'd made, he instead lost his nerve, and like the awkward boy he was, quietly followed her and her family at a short distance, blending in with a rather large family going the same direction as them. How he'd sworn they must've just walked through a wall, but his eyes were so focused on Isabelle, that he hadn't bothered to note that it was sort of fishy. How he'd climbed right onto that train without even thinking anything through, and sat next to a sick boy who'd slept through the entire ride. How he'd then climbed off and did his best to find Isabelle again, and only started noticing that everyone was dressed in black robes by the time he'd found himself on a boat with a man who he suspected was some sort of giant wrestler. Or how, after all of that, he'd only finally spoken a word to Isabelle when she'd noticed him in the Great Hall.

"It...Just happened," were the words that came out of Adam's mouth. Thankfully, that seemed to be enough for Balder, who solemnly nodded with understanding.

"Yeah...I didn't plan on it, either. Fate has a way of finding you, huh...?" the older boy muttered quietly. For a moment, Adam felt very sorry for him, even though he didn't know why.

But, Balder pushed that solemn thought away quickly and straightened up, pulling out a different set of books, as well as a dark-purple pouch with another one of those symbols on it, like the complicated one on the trunk. He set the books down in a pile next to the trunk before closing it, but kept the pouch in-hand.

"Did you tame a wand yet?" Balder asked, sounding quite hopeful, though Adam didn't know if that hopefulness was reserved for a yes or no answer. Adam furrowed his brows, because he was pretty sure the guy had said "Wand" - like a _magic_ wand. But then, he remembered the rest of the day, and decided that asking this guy to repeat himself was both stupid and pointless.

"No," Adam decided was the right answer to that question, and the way the Balder's face lit up suggested that he picked correctly. He motioned for Adam to sit down, and he did as Balder revealed the contents of the bag. The symbol glowed when he opened the pouch, but the light faded as quickly as it appeared, and bag's contents slid out onto the floor - a bunch of sticks.

"I already have one I tamed pretty well," Balder said with a bragging tone. Adam focused his eyes on the pile of differently-shaped chopsticks so he didn't end up giving the older boy a look that let him know how crazy Adam thought he was at the moment.

"You're a little tall for your age - here, try this one," the boy said, picking up what Adam was sure must have been a completely random stick and holding it out to the younger boy.

The second Adam felt it in his palm, a horribly unpleasant feeling swept through his body.

That sickness he'd been feeling all day suddenly tripled; his insides twisted, his head throbbed, he felt a fresh layer of sweat coat his body, and he just barely managed to fight off the urge to throw up. He let the stick clatter to the floor, as he suddenly doubled over, gagging and fighting the urge to heave.

"Oh, man, you haven't even gotten over Hunter's Sickness, yet," Balder said with a tone that suggested he was both shocked and a little impressed. Adam just barely managed to lift his head and give Balder a look to let him know just how much he hated the older boy in that second.

Balder pulled the stick away from Adam and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to help the younger boy focus. "It's okay, it's easy. Keep breathing, it helps your stomach calm down. Try to keep it through your nose; opening your mouth can make it worse. Now, just try to close your eyes, and instead of fighting it — sort of let it...go through," he said, motioning from the core of his body fluidly away from it, towards the outside, like a wave of water splashing over him. "It comes, then it leaves. It's to let you know that something is really full of magical potential. The more it happens, the less you'll feel it, I swear."

Balder reached over, to pick up the stick - or, well, 'wand', Adam supposed - and offered it to Adam again.

"Accept it, and let it flow all the way through you. Don't fight the feeling, don't try to tense up and make it go away. Like if you have to keep smelling something really gross," Balder told him.

Adam gave him the same look as he'd given him before. He still felt sick, but it was fading faster than he'd expected. He looked at that wand again, before looking up at Balder with an incredulous look once more. With a heavy sigh, Adam did sit up and reluctantly reach towards it, not entirely sure why he was stupid enough to try that again.

That same feeling hit him like a lightning bolt. Adam did his best not to tense, not to fight it, and ended up gagging very loudly and falling forward again, anyway. But, this time, it didn't last as long. The feeling didn't persist. Instead, it was like Balder had suggested with his motion - it washed over Adam, and then turned into nothing but a persistent, and very annoying, sort of buzz all throughout his body, almost like the throbbing after receiving a very nasty bruise.

His fingers curled reluctantly around the wand; it felt almost like touching a spider. Adam's body simply did not want to do it, and forcing it to made Adam feel extremely uncomfortable. But at the same time, he could feel the energy inside of his palm, vibrating, humming in a manner that even his bones could feel. It terrified Adam, it felt wrong - but at the same time, somewhere, deep in his core, he felt as though he'd accomplished something. Like he just won some sort of battle.

"Wow, you're kind of a natural at this, aren't you?" Balder said with an impressed tone as he watched Adam straighten up. "How's it feel?"

"Weird," Adam said right away. That was the first thing he'd been sure of all day. "But, like...I don't know. Like I'm supposed to do something to it. Like I need to...fix it," He didn't know how to explain the rest of his sensations, though.

"Good Hunter instinct," Balder nodded deeply with approval. "It's your instinct to Tame it. The wand doesn't want to listen to you because you're not a wizard. Usually, the wand gets to pick who wields it, and a wizard just needs to keep going until they find one that likes them. Hunters like us? We don't bother with that stuff. We _make_ magic stuff do what we want."

"Uh-huh," Adam just nodded slowly, beginning to question this kid's sanity again.

"Grip it tight - let it know who's boss. Keep your hand steady, let it know it won't get away with anything with you. Then, you need to flick it - nice and strong - to make it give off some magic for you. Go ahead - try!" Balder motioned to Adam to start with expectant eyes.

Adam looked at him for a moment, before looking down at the wand in his hand. It was a stick. Okay, a _magic_ stick. He was beginning to accept that this was just a 'thing', now. But it was still a stick. He was supposed to show it he was the boss? An inanimate object?

He gripped it a little tighter, then sort of half-heartedly flicked it, like he was trying to tap an invisible table. Nothing happened, though that sick feeling started to come back.

Balder frowned. "No! Come on, you need to take this seriously! Try again!"

Adam did his best, but he simply couldn't manage it. He flicked it over and over again, hard, soft, left, right, growing more and more annoyed with Balder every time, and then more and more annoyed with himself as he started to question why in the world he was even doing this.

What felt like a thousand flicks later, Balder ended up tugging at his shoulder-long blonde hair in frustration, and he started to lose control of his volume.

"Come ON! This is one of the most BASIC things! Wands are MADE to be used, I know you don't have a lot of magic absorbed yet, but if you can't even do THIS, there's no WAY you can stay here! What, do you want to get kicked out!? Never be allowed here again, huh!? You'll lose your chance!"

Adam felt his chest tense slightly in panic. He wasn't sure what Balder really meant by all that, but his words got to him, anyway. If this was an easy thing, Balder must have been right. They were going to find out, they were going to kick him out - and Adam wouldn't see Isabelle anymore.

That thought made Adam's grip around the wand much tighter than it had been so far. He looked at that wand, glaring at it with a hatred he didn't know he was even capable of having towards a stick. He clenched his jaw tightly, and that hatred turned into a sort of resolve. He was going to do this. No one was going to make him never see Isabelle again - especially not some stupid stick.

His nostrils flared, and he flicked once, twice. Nothing happened, and that sickness started to build up again. Adam let out a sharp, annoyed breath; that sickness was now angering him rather than bringing him down. Despite the feeling, he flicked the wand again, with even more strength than he had before, absolutely refusing to let a stick keep him from his friend.

And this time, finally - strange, orange sparks shot out of it.

It reminded Adam of a sparkler, but it shot quickly, violently almost, right across the room. Balder barely had time to duck out of the way of them, laughing loudly, in a mix of disbelief and awe.

Adam's jaw dropped, and a strange swelling of pride started up in his chest. He did it - he showed this stupid stick. No piece of wood was going to get the better of him...He could snap it in half, he could throw it on the ground! He had the power, he was the one who in control! No magic was going to control him - he'd be the one who bent it to his will! He would...

...Wait...what?

Adam opened his hand, letting the wand clatter to the floor as Balder continued to laugh loudly and spout compliments. But Adam wasn't listening. He felt almost dirty.

What was with those thoughts? Where had they come from? Where had that hatred come from? That thirst? That violent urge?

Adam shrank away from the wand, an uncomfortable sensation starting to creep over him. He didn't know how to feel. That hate was wrong, those thoughts were wrong, he knew they were wrong.

So...why had they felt right?


End file.
